Accounting for a small business using Microsoft’s Excel often requires the use of figures from one year as part of the accounting necessary for the next year’s figures. Rather than keep a continuous Excel workbook that contains information from multiple years, it’s more convenient to create a new workbook for each subsequent year with the necessary numbers from previous years rolled over into the new year’s books. Because some of the numbers in the previous year’s workbook may change after beginning the new book, a specific copy and paste method is needed between the two to ensure that the changes are reflected within the new workbook’s numbers.

Start the Microsoft Excel application and then load the old year’s workbook into the application’s workspace as the source needed for the rolled-over numbers.

Press the “File” tab, then select the “New” option. Choose “Blank Workbook” to open a new workbook to serve as the new year’s workbook and destination for the numbers.

Prepare the new workbook by entering the column and row labels, and any formulas necessary to continue the work from the old workbook. Leave all numeric entries that require the previous year’s data empty, as you’ll be bringing the data forward from that year’s workbook.

Highlight the cell in the previous year’s workbook containing the data to be rolled over into the new workbook. Right-click on the data and select “Copy.”

Highlight the cell within the new workbook where you wish to place the data. Right-click on the cell and then select “Paste Link” from the options to paste the data into the cell. Repeat the pasting process until all the necessary data has been rolled over into the new workbook.

Click the "File" tab and then save the workbooks. Any changes made within the old workbook will be reflected within the new workbook accordingly, including any links to the data made within the new workbook.

About the Author

Larry Simmons is a freelance writer and expert in the fusion of computer technology and business. He has a B.S. in economics, an M.S. in information systems, an M.S. in communications technology, as well as significant work towards an M.B.A. in finance. He's published several hundred articles with Demand Studios.